In this episode, Anne Gass, independent historian and author, discusses the suffrage struggle at sites in Maine.

We talk about the events and activists in the ME voting rights campaign:

• Florence Brooks Whitehouse was a suffrage leader who traveled to D.C. to picket at the White House.
• Mabel Derricks, Edith Johnson, and Blanche Dymond–members of the Black community in Bangor–signed a petition in 1917 advocating for women’s suffrage.
• Lucy Nicolar Poolaw of the Penobscot nation combined her musical career with activism for the rights for her community and was finally able to vote in 1967.
• Camille Lessard Bissonette who immigrated from Quebec to work in the Lewiston mills, became a journalist for the local French-Canadian newspaper and advocated for women’s suffrage.
• Augusta Hunt fought for women’s suffrage as well as other important rights including women’s rights for custody of their children.

About our Guest:

Anne Gass is an independent historian and the author of the non-fiction book Voting Down the Rose: Florence Brooks Whitehouse and Maine’s Fight for Woman Suffrage, published in 2014. Anne is Whitehouse’s great-granddaughter. Her most recent book is We Demand: The Suffrage Road Trip, a historical novel based on the true story of an epic cross-country road trip that took place in 1915. In 2015, a century later, Anne spent two months retracing the original route. Anne describes herself as a "women's rights history activist" and speaks regularly on suffrage and women’s rights history. She recently led an effort to install seven roadside markers across Maine honoring women (and one man!) who fought for women’s voting rights. She serves as Chair of Maine’s Permanent Commission on the Status of Women.

People, Places, Publications:

Maine & the 19th Amendment (here)

Maine Suffrage Trail (here)

Francis Brooks Whitehouse Biographical Sketch (here)

Francis Brooks Whitehouse marker (here)

Black Matriarchs of Bangor Biographical Sketch and marker (here)

Lucy Nicolar Poolaw Biographical Sketch and marker (here)

Camille Lessard Bissonette Biographical Sketch (here)

Camille Lessard Bissonette marker (here)

Augusta Hunt Biographical Sketch (here)

Augusta Hunt marker (here)

CM Marihugh is a public history consultant and currently conducting independent research for a book on commemoration of the U.S. women’s suffrage movement. She has an M.A. in Public History from State University of New York, and an M.B.A. from Dartmouth College.

Learn more about:

• National Votes for Women Trail (here)
• National Votes for Women Trail - William G. Pomeroy historical markers (here)
• National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites (here)

Do you have a question, comment, or suggestion? Get in touch! Send an e-mail to NVWTpodcast@ncwhs.org

In this episode, Paula Casey discusses the stories of the suffrage struggle in Tennessee.

We talk about the activists in the TN campaign:

• Juno Frankie Pierce and Dr. Mattie Coleman aided 2,000 African American women to vote in Nashville after the state partial suffrage law passed in 1919.
• Joseph Hanover–a Polish Jewish immigrant–was key to organizing the final dramatic victory in the legislature.
• Lide Smith Meriwether wrote an 1895 petition demanding the women's vote and status as independent citizens.
• Anne Dallas Dudley organized suffrage leagues in the state as well as the largest suffrage parade in Nashville in 1916.
• The “Suffrage Day” baseball game in 1916 in Nashville hosted the suffragist governor and featured players with yellow sashes around their waists.

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Paula Casey has spent more than 30 years educating the public about Tennessee's role in ratifying the 19th Amendment. She has helped place suffragist public art across Tennessee and published the book, The Perfect 36: Tennessee Delivers Woman Suffrage. She co-founded the Tennessee Woman Suffrage Heritage Trail.

Links to People, Places, Publications

• Tennessee and the 19th Amendment (here)
• TN Woman Suffrage Heritage Trail (here)
• Lide Smith Meriwether Biosketch (here)
• Visit the Equality Trailblazers monument (here)
• Joseph Hanover Biosketch (here)
• Visit the Joseph Hanover marker (here)
• Lizzie Crozier French Biosketch (here)
• Visit the Lizzie Crozier French marker in Knoxville (here)
• Juno Frankie Pierce Biosketch (here)
• Dr. Mattie Coleman Biosketch (here)
• Visit the Dr. Mattie Coleman marker in Nashville (here)
• Anne Dallas Dudley Biosketch (here)
• Visit the TN Woman Suffrage Monument (here)

CM Marihugh is a public history consultant and currently conducting independent research for a book on commemoration of the U.S. women’s suffrage movement. She has an M.A. in Public History from State University of New York, and an M.B.A. from Dartmouth College.

Learn more about:

• National Votes for Women Trail (here)
• National Votes for Women Trail - William G. Pomeroy historical markers (here)
• National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites (here)

Do you have a question, comment, or suggestion? Get in touch! Send an e-mail to NVWTpodcast@ncwhs.org

In this episode on Oregon, Janice Dilg, consulting historian and principal of HistoryBuilt, talks about the struggle for votes for women on the NVWT.

We talk about the events and fighters in OR suffrage campaign:

• Dr. Pesie Chan, a Chinese immigrant, met with a collegiate suffrage group in 1912 at the Portland Hotel and gave a speech supporting women's suffrage.
• Esther Pohl Lovejoy created Everybody’s Equal Suffrage League that offered a lifetime membership for 25 cents.
• Hattie Redmond served as president of the Colored Women’s Equal Suffrage Association which spread “equal suffrage ideas among those of the race.”
• Katherine and Edith Gray–an African American mother-daughter team– organized voter registration and political education drives for Black voters.
• Sara Bard Field Ehrgott joined Frances Jolliffe in 1915 on a cross-country car trek to deliver a petition demanding a federal suffrage amendment to President Wilson.
• The annual Pendleton Round-up rodeo was on the suffragist speaking tour where they were regularly cheered by crowds.

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Janice Dilg is principal and consulting historian of HistoryBuilt. She is a founding member of the Oregon Women’s History Consortium and was part of the 19th Amendment centennial celebration in 2020. She is the State Coordinator for the NVWT.

Links to People, Places, Publications

• Oregon and the 19th Amendment (here)
• Women’s Suffrage in Oregon (here)
• Visit the State Capitol and the Votes for Women Trail marker (here)
• Abigail Scott Duniway Biographical Sketch (here)
• Esther Pohl Lovejoy Biographical Sketch (here)
• Chinese American Woman Suffrage in 1912 Portland (here)
• Harriet “Hattie” Redmond Biographical Sketch (here)
• Katherine Gray Biographical Sketch (here)
• Edith Gray Biographical Sketch (here)
• Sara Bard Field Biographical Sketch (here)
• Sylvia Thompson Biographical Sketch (here

CM Marihugh is a public history consultant and currently conducting independent research for a book on commemoration of the U.S. women’s suffrage movement. She has an M.A. in Public History from State University of New York, and an M.B.A. from Dartmouth College.

Learn more about:

• National Votes for Women Trail (here)
• National Votes for Women Trail - William G. Pomeroy historical markers (here)
• National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites (here)

Do you have a question, comment, or suggestion? Get in touch! Send an e-mail to NVWTpodcast@ncwhs.org